Parts of Nova Scotia are now in severe drought, according to the latest update from the Canadian Drought Monitor.
The monitor, managed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, classifies drought in five categories. By July 31, all of the province was registering drought conditions, ranging from the least severe category to the third highest.
Most of the province was in moderate drought, while parts of the Annapolis Valley, Cumberland County and Cape Breton, along with a larger area in central Nova Scotia, were facing severe drought. An area in southwestern Nova Scotia was abnormally dry — the least serious category.
“In July, the Atlantic region received below-normal precipitation, with large portions of Nova Scotia getting less than 40 per cent of their usual monthly total,” said the agency’s analysis.
Ian Spooner, a professor of environmental science at Acadia University, said the province is no stranger to droughts, including in 2016, 2020 and 2023.Â
However, he said this time around “is a little different in that we’ve got absolutely no rain really in about a month.”
Large portions of Nova Scotia got less than 40 per cent of their usual monthly rain total in July. (Giuliana Grillo de Lambarri/CBC)
Trevor Hadwen, an expert with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, said the monitor bases its categories — D0 to D4 — on different indicators, such as precipitation and temperature.Â
Each category is based on the percentile chance of those conditions occurring, and is specific to the area. That means a D1 drought in Manitoba will not look the same as a D1 drought in Nova Scotia.Â
Nationally, 71 per cent of the country was classified as having drought conditions at the end of July, including a number of areas with extreme drought.
Drought categories and their rarity
D0 — Abnormally Dry — 1 in 3 year event
D1 — Moderate Drought — 1 in 5 year event
D2 — Severe Drought — 1 in 10 year event
D3 — Extreme Drought — 1 in 20 year event
D4 — Exceptional Drought — 1 in 50 year event
Drought intensity in one region of the country may look completely different in another, according to Trevor Hadwen, an expert with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. (Canadian Drought Monitor)
Hadwen said what the recent data shows is an “intensification” of the drought conditions in Nova Scotia.Â
He said while the province has seen pockets of drought before, this one is affecting all of the province and the Atlantic region as a whole.
“The last time we saw really significant rain in Nova Scotia was early June,” said Hadwen. “In the last 60 days … that’s over 100 millimetres of lost precipitation.”
How dry is it in Nova Scotia? Meteorologist Ryan Snoddon explains
The last time Nova Scotia had substantial rain across the province was in early June. CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoddon says our next chance of rain likely won’t come until late next week.
Spooner said the drought is being felt by people in their daily lives.Â
“I live in a farming community, Grand-Pré, N.S., and people are very concerned,” he said. “I live on a property in which we have big gardens … and we can see the effects.”
Low levels of water at an irrigation pond in Pictou County, N.S. (Giuliana Grillo de Lambarri/CBC)
Nova Scotia has imposed a ban on going into the woods, to avoid starting wildfires. Municipalities have also asked residents to conserve water, and fire departments have sounded the alarm on water levels in ponds and lakes.
A wildfire that started on Tuesday near Halifax’s Bayers Lake Business Park was still out of control on Wednesday.Â
Spooner said while any amount of rain would be helpful, the reality is that only sustained amounts will make a significant difference.